Steelcase impacted by new steel tariffs

The company told us it does purchase most of its raw steel domestically but some material they need is not available in the US. As a result, the company is likely to experience negative financial impact.

Author:
Staff

Published:
6:16 PM EST March 8, 2018

Updated:
6:54 PM EST March 8, 2018

In West Michigan, office furniture manufacturers are also concerned about the new steel tariffs. WZZM 13 contacted Steelcase for reaction.

The company told us it does purchase most of its raw steel domestically but some material they need is not available in the US. As a result, the company is likely to experience negative financial impact.

You can read the full statement from, Katie Woodruff a spokesperson for Steelcase here:

Our initial assessment of the steel and aluminum tariffs the President announced today indicates negative and unintended consequences that run counter to the administration’s intention.

While we do purchase the vast majority of our raw steel domestically, there is some material we require not available through U.S. suppliers. As a result, the company is likely to experience a negative financial impact on our raw material spending.

Steelcase is committed to maintaining operational agility so it can adapt to global market change and ensure business continuity. As such, the company has been following this issue carefully – and making our voice heard through direct appeals to elected officials – since the U.S. Commerce Department began investigating potential steel and aluminum tariffs last year. In fact, we have been fighting to protect a particular type of steel used in our PolyVision products for more than two years – and won an exclusion from tariffs last year. We will again seek an exclusion for this steel to ensure we can protect our business.

Steelcase strongly supports measures to ensure a fair and level playing field, and is willing to work with other companies and government officials to reach that goal. In this instance, and with these particular tariffs, we do not believe that will be the result.